While Kesser Torah of Baltimore (KT) may only be five years old, it has already entrenched itself within the Baltimore community as a yeshiva that sets its bochurim on a path to learn with a brehn and create a cheishek for Torah for a lifetime.
This past Winter Zman has allowed the talmidei ha’yeshiva, who number well over 100 bochurim in grades 9-12 and a first-year Bais Medrash, to not only engross themselves in Torah via their normal seder ha’yom, but also by witnessing their rebbeim emulate a life of Ahavas ha’Torah and Yiras Hashem. At the beginning of the Winter Zman, the yeshiva shared in the simcha of the Rosh Yeshiva, HaRov Nosson Newman Shlit”a, as he was mesayim Shas, something he has been zoche to achieve annually for close to twenty years.
Also at the beginning of the Zman, the new Bais Medrash dormitory opened its doors to bochurim from Baltimore, Lakewood, Monsey, Brooklyn, Passaic, and other locations. The dorm is housed in a beautiful manor house on the yeshiva’s campus.
A few months ago, over the course of a four-day retreat, the entire mesivta relocated to New Bloomfield, Pennsylvania, to learn and grow in a new environment while being able to witness their rebbeim outside of the normal yeshiva schedule.
As in the past, in true KT fashion, talmidim participated in a four-hour retzufos seder to cap off an unprecedented Winter Zman of growth in Limud ha’Torah and Yiras Shamayim. Bochurim removed their watches and learned without interruptions with their chavrusas. The only break in learning was halfway through the seder when the Rosh Mesivta provided words of chizuk to the Bnei yeshiva. In addition to the mesivta’s alumni who are currently learning in KT’s Bais Medrash, many other alumni, currently learning in yeshivos in Lakewood, Monsey, and Eretz Yisroel, returned to join in the seder. This was an incredibly powerful sight for the younger bochurim as they begin to understand what it means to continue their kesher with their rebbeim and yeshiva for a lifetime.
Following this impressive accomplishment, the entire yeshiva joined in a banquet with music and dancing in honor of the Torah learned during the Winter Zman. Additionally, there were raffles for those who were mekabel upon themselves to learn every day over Bein ha’Zmanim. Prizes included sets of Achronim, Mishna Brura, and various Haggadahs. The event concluded with a kumzitz outside.
Each bochur was able to complete the long Winter Zman with a sense of accomplishment and an opportunity to catapult themselves into greater learning during the final Zman of the year.
